Sea of Sapphires
by Keetra
Summary: *Ch 1 & Prologue UP!* Sea of Sapphires. A beautiful name for a place. But this place is not beautiful. It is made from your worste nightmares. What happens when a new DADA teacher decides to take her students there? Will they come out alive?
1. Prologue

Prologue. . .  
  
There is a place where no mortal dares to go. . . .  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
The entrance is guarded by a fearless beast, who has a high desire. . .  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
Only the darkest hearts have what he desires. . .  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
Fulfill his desire, and the challenge begins. . .  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
Many a dark witch and wizard have tried the challenge. . . only to die a death none dare to speak of. . .  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
This place has not been seen for only three decades. . .  
  
.  
  
. . . . But already, its name is buried from common knowledge, not even referred to in history anymore. . . .  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
No witch or wizard speaks of it, nor of what lies within its dark gates. . .  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
There is no code name for it. . . .  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
It's never mentioned at all. . .  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
It's more feared than You-Know Who himself. . .  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
This place is called:  
  
The  
  
Sea  
  
Of  
  
Sapphires. 


	2. New DADA Teacher?

Sea of Sapphires  
  
By: Keetra  
  
Thank yous from Keetra::  
  
Dark Angle:: Don't worry. There's more. That was just the prologue. I actually wrote that after I finished writing chapter one on paper. I thought it would be interesting to put a prologue in. Thanx for your review!  
  
Ch.1: Another DAFA Teacher?  
  
Ron, Harry and Hermione walk into the Great Hall, their laughter drowned out by the many conversations around them.  
  
"What happened then, Ron?" Hermione asks, very excited.  
  
"Well, mum got so mad, red sparks shot out from her wand and caught Percy's pants on fire. Ha ha! He jumps all around the kitchen slapping himself, trying to put it out. Dad finally had to magic some water from his wand to put it out. Ha ha ah aha aha. He had a hole the size of a quaffle on his rear."  
  
Harry and Hermione laugh even harder at the thought of "high and mighty" Percy jumping around with a flaming bottom.  
  
"Ha ha. Pity it wasn't his head. Let's see Percy try to keep his cool with a hot head like that!" Harry thinks aloud.  
  
All three break out in hard, uncontrollable laughter, which attracts curious looks from everyone near them. One Slytherin in particular cannot help from commenting on his disgust to the trio.  
  
"Having fun with your friends, Potter?"  
  
"At least I have friends I can have fun with, Malfoy." Harry snaps back.  
  
If Draco is affected by this comment, he doesn't show it.  
  
"I wonder how your muggle relatives react when they visit. I hear they don't even like to hear the word magic."  
  
"I wonder how your mother reacts, Malfoy," Hermione cuts in, "when she rarely sees you face. She must faint from the frightful sight. I heard she moved because she couldn't stand your ugly mug."  
  
Malfoy is visibly stung by this remark. (Five points for Hermione!!!! ^_^)  
  
"Silence, mudblood." Draco spits, using his now common insult. "I'm talking to Potter, not you." Draco turns back to Potter with a mischievous smile. "So, Potter, have a fun summer with your muggles?"  
  
"Well enough." Harry replies evenly.  
  
"Pity. I had a wonderful summer traveling all over the world with my quite alive father." Draco proudly informs them, smirking at the look of hatred on Harry's face.  
  
"Have you sunken so low, Malfoy," Ron chips in, "that you tell of your summer fun to us? Or did no one else even care?"  
  
Instead of answering, Draco reaches into his robes and brings forth two quills. But these aren't ordinary quills. He displays them proudly before them.  
  
"Check this out, Weasley. Solid gold tipped peacock feather quills. I bought them in Mexico while I was there. You see, Weasley, not only can my family afford to travel the world, but I can bring back souvenirs like these to prove it as well. Bet this is the first time you've seen solid gold, seeing as though you're not even a high enough class to look in such store's windows."  
  
Enraged by this insult to his friend, Harry draws his wand and points it at Draco.  
  
"Gold is a Gryffindor color, Malfoy. Slytherin only has silver."  
  
"Fake gold, more then likely. Godric Gryffindor was probably never saw real gold in his entire short life." Draco says, pulling out his wand as well.  
  
The Gryffindor and Slytherin tables are silent, watching the argument. Both sides are just waiting for any reason to join in the fight, should one break out. A ringing bell from the teacher's tables signals that the Sorting Ceremony will be starting now and brings and end to the would-be brawl. Draco grins at Harry and his friends.  
  
"Saved by the bell, eh, Potter? Harry Potter seems to get all the luck doesn't he? Good luck until next time, Potter. Hope you-know-who doesn't try to attack you again this year, eh? Or the new DAFA teacher. Imagine, being beaten by a girl?" He strides off laughing to sit with Crab and Goyle at the Slytherin table.  
  
"Delusions of grandeur, that one. I swear." Ron comments as the three of them sit down at the Gryffindor table.  
  
And the sorting Ceremony begins. The first years file in behind Professor McGonagall and look around the hall in wonder. It takes the sorting hat a whole hour and a half to sort them all. Harry himself lost track of how many times his stomach grumbled in hunger. At last, all of the first years are sorted and squished into their respective houses, since there was barely enough room to fit them all. Professor McGonagall raps her goblet lightly with her fork, getting everyone's attention. Dubledore stands, his cheery face looking out at the over-crowded hall.  
  
"Yes, yes. Welcome first years welcome. And welcome back to all of the past year students. I suppose the events of last year were not frightening enough to drive all of you off." His cheery smile lightens the mood of this statement. "While I am on the topic of hellos, I have one more person I wish for all of you to welcome to our home. Or should I say welcome back. As you all remember, our defense against the dark arts teacher was, yet again, been scared away by dark arts." He pauses as light snickers go through the hall, and does a light laugh of his own. "As such, I am most pleased to announce that I believe I have finally talked someone into the job and I am most assured that she will remain for quite a few years. At least, I do hope so, for she is an old friend." He motions down the table to the person who is now standing and is trying desperately hard now to laugh. "Professor Keetra, of the K Continuum. And a good friend of mine and former student. Oh dear, did I say that already? Old minds, how they forget things. However, I am certain that she will be an excellent teacher for you all. My mind may be fuzzy, but I clearly remember a certain purple-haired teenager defeating a certain professor in an "unofficial" practice duel while she was a student here." His pointed look at her tells the whole hall just who this defeated teacher was.  
  
Dumbledore sits, leaving the floor open for Keetra to speak.  
  
"Thank you, Profess- I mean, Headmaster for that . . .. embarrassing introduction." Keetra says with an obvious giggle in her voice. She turns to the students in the hall.  
  
The first thing that strikes Harry is how different she is. Unlike the other Professors, who are wearing their robes, Keetra is dressed more muggle-like. But that didn't make her any less, attractive. She has on a short purple shirt that ends just below her chest, exposing her belly. The short sleeves bell out slightly and the neckline dips down to where her cleavage. Her dark blue pants flare at the bottom and has a thick blue belt. Around her wrist is a yellow band bracelet with a light pink heart charm. Her long purple hair hangs loose down her back, and her bangs, which are about shoulder length, slightly cover her eyes. Her light purple eyes scan the very crowded hall.  
  
"Klantinsal to you all. I am called Keetra and I have the pleasure of being your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year. And hopefully for next year as well. Well, I don't really have much else to say so I'll stop since I know many of you must be hungry." Her stomach growls loudly. Snickering is heard from the direction of the Slytherin table. "I guess I am too. Klitanban. That means, 'Happy eating!'." She sits.  
  
The plates on the tables, which seemed to know there would be a crowd, fill with the usual mass amounts of food and everyone eats. The meal passes uneventfully. But Harry cannot help but notice the glances that the new Professor keeps throwing his way. He shifts uncomfortably.  
  
~*~*~*~ Later. . . in the Common Room of Gryffindor ~*~*~*~  
  
Harry can't remember the common room being so packed. He squeezes between two first years that are too busy chatting to notice. He gives an exhausted sigh of relief when he finally makes it over to Ron and Hermione.  
  
"Harry, I got all our schedules for us." Hermione says excitedly, handing him a parchment. "Guess what? We're going to be the first class to see the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!"  
  
"Really?" He looks at his schedule. "There's a first. I don't think we've ever been the first ones."  
  
"Tell me about it. But we aint the only ones to share the glory. Take a look at who we have it with." Ron comments.  
  
Harry knows the answer even before he looks at the paper.  
  
"Slytherin."  
  
"Right. And that means Malfoy." Hermione says glumly, her cheery mood ruined now.  
  
"Not good." Harry agrees.  
  
"Well," Ron says standing and picking up his stuff. "Let's at least see how the teacher is. No use being glum over what we don't know will happen."  
  
"Right, let's go." Harry gets up, along with Hermione. They sneak out of the common room.  
  
~*~*~*~ DADA Room ~*~*~*~  
  
The trio arrive to class in the nick of time. They would've arrived sooner, but they had met Hagrid in the halls, and he couldn't help but brag about a new creature he had for his Care of Magical Creatures class, though he would not say what it was. Harry felt a little bad about feeling sorry for Hagrid's next class, but everyone knew all too well what kinds of creatures Hagrid tended to get all excited about.  
  
So, by the time they had arrived, everyone except Neville was already there. As the trio takes their seats, the latecomer some running in, very out of breath, and very embarrassed.  
  
"S-sorry. Professor. I got stuck on the trick stair again." Neville stutters, sitting quickly.  
  
"It's quite alright, just make no habits of it please. Longbottom, Neville, right?" He nods. "Yes, I've heard that you are very accident prone."  
  
Snickers go through the Slytherins.  
  
"Y-yes, ma'am." Neville says, his face is getting more redder by the minute.  
  
"Happens to the best of us. Now then," her eyes scan the room. "Let's start class then. But first, some background questions for house points. Who can tell me what a parcelmouth is? Or what they can do?"  
  
Nearly every hand in the room goes up.  
  
"Neville? How about you?"  
  
Neville bursts with pride at being able to answer a class question.  
  
"Parcelmouths can talk to snakes in parceltongue."  
  
"Excellent. Right on. 15 points to Gryffindor."  
  
Reaching into her robes, she draws out her wand.  
  
"Now, originally I had no lesson plan for today. But then I heard an interesting rumor going about the school. So, I have something to show you. Watch, learn and beware." She says dramatically. (::No, she is not like that Lockhart fool.)  
  
"Aracnaser." She says in a slithery tone.  
  
A creature oozes out of her wand and takes shape onto her desk. It is a dark brown color with eight spidery legs and a serpent's head. It is maybe only two feet tall. It turns towards the class, its tongue going in and out rapidly sensing, searching. The whole class stares at it in silence, scared. I mean, sure the creature is scary, and looks hungry, but they are in class. The teacher won't let any of them get hurt, right? Well, they certainly hoped so.  
  
Faster than the eye can follow, it jumps off the desk, runs to the front row of tables, and jumps on one. Keetra makes no move to stop it. She just watches, as does everyone else. The creature walks forward to one of the students who is wide-eyed, staring at it. It stops with its serpentine head just a mere five inches from the Slytherin girl's face. It opens it's mouth as though to strike.  
  
Harry stands quickly seeing this. He does not hear Hermione's warning.  
  
"Sairathnassss! Shlanaleth. (Stop! Do not strike!)" He orders the creature in parceltongue. Sure, it may not be completely a snake, but he had to try, or the girl would die!  
  
It seems to work. The snake instantly loses interest in the student and stares at Harry. Harry watches as the creatures eyes turn from the serpent yellow, to a blaring red. Using its quick speed, he dashes the distance between the desks. Students back their chairs from it, wondering why the teacher has not tried to stop it yet. Was she trying to get them all killed? Even some of the Slytherins were glad Harry was there to call it off in Parceltongue.  
  
The creature quickly reaches Harry's table. Barely touching the desk, it leaps up and brings itself level with Harry's eyes. But its target is not his face. No. the creature looks at the human's neck, where it knows there is a vein. A vital vein. If its poison goes here, death is instantaneous. No struggle. No time to save them. And with its special poison, no hope for return after death, even as a ghost. The creature hisses in delight as its target gets increasingly closer. Its opens its mouth to prepare to strike!  
  
"Negatio!" Keetra yells suddenly.  
  
The creature instantly vanishes, mere centimeters from its target. (::did you guys really think I would kill Harry in the first chapter? Wow. But then again, some of you don't know me. and there are a couple main characters I would consider killing in the first chapter. *Evil Grin* but back to the story and enough of my blab::) The whole class is still in frozen shock. None of them believed a teacher would actually bring in such a dangerous creature into the class. Care of Magical Creatures was one thing. But, they had never dealt with something like this in DADA.  
  
Keetra places her wand lightly on her desk.  
  
"So, it is true then." She looks back up at the class. Harry is still standing, white as a sheet. "That creature is known as Araserp. It is a deadly, but powerful guardian against certain evil wizards. At least, it used to be. Araserp is no longer used in the wizarding world, for it was no longer found useful. And was often found to be too dangerous to trust. It was discontinued to be taught for protection of innocent wizards."  
  
She stands and paces in front of the class.  
  
"Long ago, if a wizard wanted to be evil and dark, he had to be a parcelmouth. You had to had the sole ability to control snakes. Parcelmouths were hated and feared for they were seen as evil or feared that they would do evil deeds for evil wizards who were not parcelmouths. Araserps are summoned when you are in the vicinity of one. If Araserps hear the sound of parceltongue, they instantly strike and kill the parcelmouth they hear it from."  
  
She, along with everyone the rest of the class, look immediately at Harry, who cannot possibly get any whiter.  
  
"You cold imagine my surprise upon hearing that the defeater of You- Know-Who was a parcelmouth. You-Know-Who was also a parcelmouth, following the tradition of dark wizards."  
  
The Slytherin whose life Harry had "saved" pipes up a question.  
  
"Then why didn't anyone use the Araserps against You-Know-Who?"  
  
"He was too smart for that. A few wizards of the ministry tried Araserp, but he would not speak parceltongue to it, so the creature had nothing to strike. It would even attack members of the ministry in an attempt to lure out its intended target. It can taste parceltongue in people's blood, so it would know if it struck its target. But it never struck the dark Wizard. Harry, a question, if I may," she says, bringing the attention back to him. "Have you ever spoken parceltongue when there was no snake present?"  
  
"Yes." Harry says, remembering second ear and the entry to the chamber.  
  
"But it was difficult, yes?"  
  
Harry just nods.  
  
"What about speaking English when there WAS a snake there?" She asks with emphasis.  
  
Harry thinks back to all of his encounters with snakes. Never had he spoken English.  
  
"No." Harry shakes his head.  
  
"That's because it is near impossible. You-Know-Who is the only parcelmouth to accomplish such a feat. Well, the only known one, that is. Who knows if there are more? Anyway, I thought it good to teach you that. Now, I have some treats for you all." She goes around behind her desk and starts opening drawers. "Now, where did I put them?" As she opens the last drawer, a blue streak appears from the drawer to the ceiling in a cloud of empty candy wrappers. Up at the ceiling, a Cornish pixie floats easily, its big eyes searching for its next object of mischief. Several of the girls hide under the tables, one heads for the door.  
  
"Imobulus." Keetra says calmly, not giving the pixie a chance for trouble. "Well, well. A Cornish pixie, huh? Those things are nuisances. So, who put it in there?"  
  
The whole class is silent. The only noises are those of scraping chairs as those who abandoned them return. Keetra scrutinizes them then suddenly points.  
  
"You. Malfoy, Draco. Come here."  
  
Draco stands and walks up, not scared at all.  
  
"Yes, Professor?"  
  
"You're Lucious Malfoy's son aren't you?"  
  
"Yes. You know my father?" he asks, not really caring.  
  
"I have the displeasure."  
  
Draco's smile disappears. Keetra flicks her wand twice. The pixie floats down in front of Draco.  
  
"I believe this is his Cornish pixie. It has the same markings as the one that would appear in my trunk all the time. You will return it to him."  
  
Draco takes it with a smirk.  
  
"Oh, and Malfoy. . . ."  
  
Draco turns to see Keetra pointing her wand at him.  
  
"There was another rumor that I heard saying that another DAFA teacher once turned you into a ferret to teach you a lesson. If I even hear that someone saw a streak of a pixie, I have quite a collection of unpreventable transfiguration spells to choose from." She smiles a smirk of her own. "Some of them are even irreversible."  
  
Several snickers follow Draco back to his seat. Keetra picks up the now nearly-empty bag of chocolate frogs. She does a quick count.  
  
"Looks like the villain left just enough. Alright. Everyone come up and take one. And I do mean just one, Slytherins. I won't hesitate to extend the offer I made to your classmate to any Slimy Slytherin."  
  
The bell rings to end class just as the last frog is taken.  
  
"The bell already?" Keetra looks up, surprised. "Boy does time fly. Well, go on. I'll see you all next class. Oh, Harry? Can you and your friends stay for a minute? I'll give you a pass to your Potions class."  
  
'How'd she know we had Potions next?' Harry wonders to himself.  
  
Keetra waits until everyone leaves then turns to him.  
  
"You alright there, Harry? I hope I didn't scare you too bad with the Araserp."  
  
"I'm fine, professor."  
  
"Good. Can't have anything happening to you. Your task is not fulfilled."  
  
"Task? What do you mean."  
  
"hmmm. What do I mean. You'll have to figure that out." She falls silent and just stares at him.  
  
Harry gets very uncomfortable under her scrutiny,  
  
"Uh, professor?" Harry says, nervous. "If you don't mind, we probably should get to class now."  
  
"Oh, right. Sorry. It's just. . ." She gives him that faraway look again. "You look so much like James did when he was here."  
  
"You knew my father?" Harry says, not realizing it was the exact same way Draco had asked it.  
  
"I had the pleasure. I was his partner for many a school dance. But we really were just friends. Nothing really happened. He liked Lily a lot. If you want, you should drop by sometime. I should have some old pictures up in my office that I can dig up. Ha ha ha. I've only been here, what, two days and already that room is a mess. Well, I guess I should get you to class. You're all very late now."  
  
She opens her top drawer and takes out a quill and parchment. Filling out the standard pass, she signs and hands it to him.  
  
"Oh, one last thing. If Severus gives you any trouble, tell him I wouldn't mind a class reunion."  
  
Harry smiles. "Thank you Professor."  
  
The trio turns and runs out of the room to the dungeons where Potions is well into Snape's lecture of their first upcoming test of what they remember from last year.  
  
". . . will be graded according to. . ." Snape stops as they dash in, completely out of breath.  
  
"Well, well. Potter, Granger and Weasley. Did we forget what time class begins? Well, no matter, late is late. 30 points each from Gryffindor for your lack of punctuality."  
  
Moans from Gryffindor members chorus all around.  
  
"But, professor," Hermione cuts in, getting a glare from Snape, "We were with professor Keetra. She wrote us a pass. She said for you to go to her if you have any problems with our lateness."  
  
"Professor Keetra? . . . Yes." Snape looks at the pass Harry hands him, not seeing it at all. His hard face softens into an unfamiliar expression no one has ever seen before on Snape's face. "Yes, I will . . . enjoy seeing her again." He snaps back into reality.  
  
Well, not quite all back. For the rest of class he has them working on Bubble potions, which has the drinker spout out bubbles instead of words. They actually had a lot of fun trying to figure out what each other was saying. Five cauldrons exploded sending two students to the clinic because Snape kept messing up what ingredients were supposed to go into the potion.  
  
~*~*~*~ End Chapter One ~*~*~*~  
  
Keetra:: Tah ha! I enjoyed that a little too much I think. I've got way too many ideas for this. But I need some of your help too. Gimme some of your worst nightmares. And be serious folks. Well, I could use some non-serious too. Just to make some laughs. But I really need some more ideas of what to have happen in the actual Sea place. Sadly though, I'll need to put this fic on hold for a while. Don't worry, I'll get back to it. I'll even alternate with my other fic from time to time. I just really needa finish my Original fic first. Sigh Life sucks sometimes. Please review. Do you think I should continue with this idea? Cuz if not, I won't waste my time. So if you wanna no what happens in the Sea of Sapphires, then please review.  
  
Oh, and just a quick question. If you do want me to continue, should I get a new Divination teacher? I don't like Trelawney that much and I have a pretty cool substitute. If not, I'll just make her sick for a while. I wanna try him out for size. Thanks! 


End file.
